Never Do This to Your (Would-Be) Clients

I received an email the other day with the subject line: “You’re invited: 1000th Video Celebration.”

I opened it up and the first thing I noticed was that it was sent to a disclosed list of recipients. Like it wasn’t even coming from a professional email service provider, just a massive BCC group email.

The first sentence started with, “Hey fam.” It went on to invite me to help celebrate this woman’s 1,000th YouTube video with an RSVP link.

There was a picture graphic inside the email, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out who this person was.🤔

I knew the email couldn’t be SPAM, but I had zero memory of her.

To make matters worse, people on the list started hitting “reply all” like a real “fam” (so annoying) and I’m looking at all these names and I know no one. And I’m wondering how the hell I even got on this list.

It literally took me searching my own sent folders, my trash, and the internet to figure it out.

It turns out, she was someone who had interviewed me as an expert on headshots a while back. I mean, I do a lot of interviews so cut me some slack here, okay?🙄

But will I be attending this RSVP? Probably not.

Why? Because I am NOT this woman’s fam.

Here’s what I mean.⏬

NEVER EVER EVER just pop into someone’s inbox with an “ask” when they haven’t heard from you in forever. Because at that point, they don’t know you.

If you haven’t nurtured the relationship, they’re gonna be scratching their heads just like I was.

This is exactly why email marketing is so critical. It isn’t just about “sending an email” once a year with your big announcement or your big sale, it’s about building a relationship with every individual on that list.

It’s about offering value week after week or month after month (depending on how often you’d like to email your “fam”).

This way you establish yourself as someone they know, someone they like and someone they trust (the “know, like and trust factor”) because after all, with all the value you provide, you’ve proven yourself to be the expert.

This consistent nurturing is how you get people to actually take action, how you get people to RSVP.

Whether you’re inviting them to join a celebration or selling a Mini Sale Day, a list that knows you is your greatest asset. That list will buy from you.

It ensures you never end up being the “Hay fam” person popping into an inbox and asking for a favor from strangers.

Instead, you have a community that’s ready and willing to support you because you’ve been supporting them.🙌🏻

Make sense?

If you have a list but haven’t emailed them in like ever, don’t panic. Here’s where I show you exactly how to send your first email as a photographer and start that nurture process with five simple steps.